Recent archaeological discoveries in the polar region have reanimated stock images of the rugged and intrepid explorer who staves off death and despair to bring the light of modernity to a frigid northern wasteland. The Iconic North banishes such well-worn tropes to reveal how a “primitive" North was crafted by cultural productions from the “modern" South in ways that perpetuated, rather than challenged, colonial relationships. In the postwar era, changing economic priorities and a shift in government strategy – from policies of assimilation to the integration of Indigenous people as equal citizens – influenced how northern culture was represented in popular Canadian imagery. Drawing on film, literary, and archival examples, Joan Sangster exposes the nuanced relationships between culture and ideology, showing how relations of race, gender, and colonialism have shaped our understanding of northern peoples, northern economies, and government policy. The Iconic North redirects current debates about the geopolitical prospects of the North by addressing how women and gender relations have played – and continue to play – a key role in northern development. Indigenous and non-Indigenous women’s views and ideas influence class, family, and political relationships in a modern age increasingly focused on the circumpolar region – a region now commanding more of the world’s attention. | The Iconic North by Joan Sangster, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters